Jointed foldable skeletal support



United States Patent JOINTED FOLDABLE SKELETAL SUPPORT Jacob Bierman,Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to B. & G.

Magic Chair Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a copartnership ApplicationOctober 13, 1953, Serial No. 385,758

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 155-148) foldable skeletal frame, filed March 19, 1953,Ser. No.

343,476. It is an object of the present application to improve upon thejointed structure disclosed in said copending application, as Well as toimprove upon the foldable feature of the device, as will hereinafterappear.

Accordingly it is among the objects of the present invention to providefor using pipe sections in a more satisfactory and economical manner inthe construction of a foldable support for seats, tables and otherfoldable structures.

Another object of the invention is to provide a jointed skeletal supportwhich is folded up and unfolded according to a different principle ofoperation which expedites putting the device into a usable condition andfolding it up after being used. Still another object is to provide, inconjunction with the improved foldable portion of the device, improvedmeans for securely maintaining the extended foldable structure in itsoperative position so that it will support an overlying structure in amore stable and satisfactory manner.

viewed in its operative position shown in Figs. .1 and 2, arectangularly U-shaped member 10-which is of a one piece, rigidcharacter and by preference, as shown, is made of a metallic tubing.This U'-shaped member has a basal run 11 to rest on a horizontalsupporting surface and at such timethe upper end of each limb 12 of saidU-shaped member is located in a downwardly spaced relation to a chairbottom 14 or other horizontally disposed member, for example, a tabletop which is supported by the foldable skeletal structure'provided bythis invention.

When the basal run 11 of the aforesaid member 10 is resting upon asupporting surface it cooperates with a pair of angular members 17 eachof which is of an inverted L shape, the downwardly directed limb 18 ofeach of these two members forming a leg which, as shown in the drawing,underlies a corner portion of that side of the seat member 14 which isopposite to the aforesaid U-shaped member 10. Each of said members 17has a horizontal top run 20, the run 20 of one of said angular membersextending in a generally parallel direction in relation to that of theother. In relation to each inverted L structure considered as a whole,each run 20 terminates in a short return run 21, well shown in Fig. 1.At its lower end each of said return runs is swiveled to the upper endportion of the U limb 12 at its side of the structure, one at 21a andthe other at 21b.

The preferred means for swiveling each of said return runs to theunderlying U limbs is shownin detail in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. In Fig. 8 oneof the aforesaid short return runs 21, which like the remainder of thefoldable structure, is of a tubular character, has fitted into it oneend Also a more specific object is to provide a structure wherein thefold up and extension operations may be performed in a more satisfactorymanner, and wherein the extended supporting structure will stand up in astable dependable manner and be well adapted to support as heavy aweight as will ever be deposited upon the article of furniture of whichit forms a part.

Also it is a specific object of the present invention to provide, animproved, streamline joint structure between relatively turnable pipesections.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will hereinafterappear. 1

Referring to the accompanying drawing, illustrative of a preferred,reduced to practice embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the chair in its operative position,dotted lines indicating the chair backrest shown in its infoldedposition.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with thebackrest shown in its infolded position.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the device as shown in Fig. 2 exceptthat the parts of the supporting leg structure are shown at anintermediate step toward the folded position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 showing the supporting legstructure in the completely infolded position. In this view there is adotted line indication illustrating an intermediate operational step.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the device showing the same in itscompletely infolded position. This view may be considered as looking atthe side of the device located at the lower side of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a transverse fragmentary sectional detail on line 6-6 of Fig.4, the scale being enlarged.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of one of the jointedportions of the device.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a transverse section on line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the foldable skeletal supportprovided by this invention comprises, when portion of a plug 25, saidplug being provided with a threaded socket 26 into which is screwed alock screw 27 that is inserted through a suitable aperture provided forit in one side of the tubular part'21. That part of the plug 25 whichprojects from the tube 21 is turnably fitted within the upper part ofthe tubular U limb 12, but it is limited to a degree turn within saidlimb by means of a stop screw 27 carried by the U limb, the inner endportion of said stop screw 27 cooperating with an arcuate groove 28formed in the adjacent portion of the plug 25. The arcuate groove 28cooperates with the screw 27, not only to limitthe turning movement ofthe part 12 in relation to part 21, but it prevents these two parts frombeing separated from each other.

At one side of the seat member 14 the horizontal run 20 of the member 17at that side of the structure is turnably secured to said seat member bymeans of two, spaced apart clips 29 and 30 which are secured to saidseat member and which have arcuate mid-length portions which loosely fitover said run 20.. The midlength part of the clip 30 is longitudinallyslotted at 31 and a radially extending pin 32 projects into said slotfrom said run 20 to preventsaid run from shiftingin an endwise manner.At the opposite side of the seat member twin, one-piece clips 33, eachhave arcuated, spaced apart resilient lips 34 to spring over oppositesides of the run 20 at that side of the structure, detachably to holdsaid run in its operative position. One of said clips 33 carries at itsmidlength a vertical pin 33a, basally welded to the clip at 33!). thispin normally fitting within two alined holes in the run 20 to preventendwise shifting of the latter.

In order to illustrate a desirable use of the invention the part 14 isshown as a chair bottom equipped with a swingable backrest member 35.Said backrest member is shown comprising a plate portion 36 havingattached to it two twin J-shaped rods 37, the hooked end portions ofwhich are pivoted at 38 to suitable strap iron clips 39 shown secured tothe under side of the chair bottom 14 by means of screws 40. When saidbackrest member 35 is in its inswung position shown in dotted lines inFig. l and in full lines in Fig. 5, and the skeletal foldable structurecomprising the aforesaid members 17 and 10 are also in the foldedposition, the whole structure assumes the compact arrangement shown inFig. 5.

Operation Preferably the first step in the folding up operation is toswing the backrest 25 from the full line to the dotted line portion ofFig. 5.

Assuming the leg forming structure of the device to be the extended.seat s pp ting Positi n sh wn in. igs- 1 and 2, the first step infolding up said leg structure is to pull slightly away from the seatmember 14 the horizontal run 17 which is releasably gripped between thearms of the clips 33 (see lower portion of Fig. 4). In doing this saidhorizontal run will also be withdrawn from the pin 3311 (see Fig. 6).After this horizontal run has been pulled clear of said clips 33 itwill, together with the leg 18, which it carries and the U-shaped member10, be

swung in a clockwise direction through an angle of 90- degrees aroundthe swivel joint 21!; until it assumes the position shown in Fig. 3,where the partly folded run 20 and leg 18 carried thereby are shownlocated at an intermediate point of the folding up operation. Next, saidparts 18 and 20 will be swung farther in a clockwise direction throughan angle of a little more than 90 degrees until the part 20 extendsalongside its mate 20 and together therewith is in an underlyingrelation to the adjacent side portion of the seat 14. Then the finalstep of the folding up of the leg structure will be performed, said stepconsisting in swinging both the side by side positioned L-shaped membersand U-shaped member against the bottom face of the. seat member to theposition shown in Fig. 4.

I claim:

1. A foldable skeletal support comprising, when viewed in its operativeposition a rectangularly U-shaped member having a basal run to rest on asupporting surface, and a pair of leg members each of an inverted Lshape and each having a horizontal limb which normally is parallel tothat of the, other, said horizontal limbs being positioned to underlieand support a seat member and each terminating in a downwardly directedshort return run, one of said return runs being swiveled to one of theupper ends of the aforesaid U-shaped member and the other of said returnruns being swiveled to the other of the upwardly directed ends of saidU-shaped member.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and means to permanently, turnablyattach the horizontal run of one of said leg members to the under sideof said seat member, and means including a swivel joint to detachablyattach the horizontal run of the other of said leg members to the underside of said seat member, so that when the latter run is detached saidskeletal support may be swingably folded up and disposed in a closelyunderlying relation to the under side of the seat member.

3. A foldable skeletal support comprising, when viewed in its operativeposition a rectangularly U-shaped member having a basal run to rest on asupporting surface, and a pair of leg members each of an inverted Lshape and each having a horizontal limb which normally is parallel tothat of the other, said horizontal limbs being positioned to underlieand support a seat member and each terminating in a downwardly directedshort return run,

a joint means swiveling one of said return runs to one of the upper endsof the aforesaid-U-shaped member, a joint means swiveling the other ofsaid return runs to the other of the upwardly directed ends of saidU-shaped member, means to permanently turnably attach the horizontal runof one of said leg members to the under side of said seat member, meansto detachably attach the horizontal run of the other of said leg membersto the under side of the same seat member, so that when the latter runis detached said skeletal support may be folded up and positioned in aclosely underlying relation to the under side of said seat member, andmeans carried by the aforesaid swivel joint means of the detachable legmember to limit the turning movement of its short return run in relationto that arm of the U-shaped member to which it is swiveled.

4. The subject matter of claim 3 and said joint means carried by thedetachable leg member comprising a plug and a tubular part into which anend portion of said plug turnably fits, and a stop member projectingradially from said end portion of said plug and having a working fit insaid slot to travel therein through an arc of substantially ninetydegrees.

5. A foldable skeletal support comprising, when viewed in its operativeposition a rectangularly U-shaped member having a basal run to rest on asupporting surface, a pair of leg members each of an inverted L. shapeand each having a horizontal limb which normally is parallel to that ofthe other, said horizontal limbs being positioned to underlie andsupport a seat member and each terminating in a downwardly directedshort return run, one of said return runs being swiveled to one of theupper ends of the aforesaid U-shaped member and the other of said returnruns being swiveled to the other of the upwardly directed ends of saidU-shaped member, means to permanently turnably attach the horizontal runof one of said leg members to the under side of said seat member, andmeans comprising clips with resilient lips between which the horizontalrun of the other of said leg members is normally releasably attached tothe under side of said seat member, so that when the latter run iswithdrawn from between said lips it may, together with said U-shapedmember be swung through an arcuate path extending at a right angle tothe seat bottom till the parts of the leg skeletal support are in anoverlying relation to each other and then are swingable to an underlyingrelation to the seat member.

6. The subject matter of claim 5 and at least one of said clips having apin extending removably through said horizontal run engaged by saidclips.

References Citedin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,914,006 Brown June 13, 1933 2,462,377 Flinn Feb. 22, 1949 FOREIGNPATENTS 127,846 Australia June 10, 1948 611,824 Great Britain Nov. 4,1948 820,029 France Oct. 30, 1937

